About Me

20 February 2015

Day 70 / 104 - The American Girl Scout Cookbook

While sorting through some of her mother's belongings, my mother-in-law recently rediscovered this cookbook and passed it down to my daughter. For years, my husband's grandmother worked professionally for the Girl Scouts. The book was published in the early '60s and has been a delight for my daughter.

Back in January, I posted on my Facebook page about how we have arranged dinner this year. One of the ways we have simplified our life during the 30 weeks we actively school (15 in the fall, 15 in the spring) is by having the same dinner, the same day, each week (Mondays - tacos, Tuesdays - chicken stir fry, etc.) I pick five quick, easy meals that I know my children will eat, and we stick to that plan Mondays through Fridays. I know what I need to prep, everyone knows exactly what needs to be cleaned up, and most importantly, I am able to breeze in and out of the grocery store in 20 minutes. On the weekends, and during breaks, we mix it up some and try out some new recipes.I have tried to include my children in this plan as much as possible, even if it's as simple as "Boil the spaghetti and heat up the meatballs." Naturally, my daughter has embraced it and now 'owns' dinner a couple nights a week. (I have told her I will pay her $2 per meal, but ONLY after everything has been cleaned up and put away.) This book has given her some new ideas that are simple and doable. Independently, she follows recipes quite well.

This was a new dish with pork chops and stuffing made with peanut butter (!). It was different, but quite delicious, and most importantly quite simple. Additions were salad that came out of a bag and rolls that came out of a package. Voila!